Method for making cutter for slicing cheese or the like and frame therefor



Oct. 10, 1961 UEBEL 3,003,369

N. P. METHOD FOR MAKING CUTTER FOR SLICING CHEESE OR THE LIKE AND FRAME THEREFOR Filed 001,- 50, 1958 INVENTOR. NORMAN R UEBEL United States PatentO 3,003,369 METHOD FOR MAKING CU'ITER FOR SLICING CHEESE OR THE LIKE AND FRAME THEREFOR Norman P. Uebel, 435 Clark St., Bellevne, Ky. Filed Oct. 30, 1958, Ser. No. 770,676 5 Claims. (Cl. 76101) This invention relates to cutters, and more particularly to improved hand-manipulated cutting devices for slicing cheese and the like. This application is a continuationin-part of my application Serial Number 629,515, filed December 20, 1956, for Cutter for Slicing Cheese or the Like, new Patent No. 2,869,230, issued January 20, 1959.

An object of this invention is to provide a cutter having a one-piece handle and bow or harp member formed from a length of round stock, the free ends of which co-operatively grip end portions of a cutting wire in such fashion that the wire remains in a taut condition therebetween to limit spacing of the free ends of the handlebow to a predetermined distance, assuring retention of a guide roll in co-operative engagement with the handle bow.

I Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the above character in which the two symmetric integral sinuous portions forming the handle are adapted to cooperate with each other adjacent their junction with the bow arm portions to preclude movement of the handle portions out of coplanar relation.

' A further object of this invention is to provide a device of the above character in which the cutting wire is loaded in tension and co-operates with the bow arms adjacent the free ends thereof to urge the co-operating handle portions against each other.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cheese cutter of the above character in which bearing surfaces are provided in the bow arms adapted to co-operatively receive mating portions of the guide roll without removing any metal in forming said bearing surfaces.

A further object of this invention is to provide a dent or depression in the handle opposite, facing and adapted to co-operatively receive a portion of an oppositely bent symmetric portion of the handlebow to preclude relative displacement of these co-operating portions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a dent or depression in the stock during the preliminary stages of manufacture of the handle-bow, the form of which dent or depression is altered incidentally to desired shape during and by bending of the stock into completed form as a handle-bow.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a method of making a handle-bow frame for a slicer, the steps of making a frusto-conic dent in the frame stock and then by bending the stock to frame form, reforming the dent to elongate groove-like depression form.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a method of making a handle-bow frame for -a slicer, the step of forming frusto-conic roller-journal-bearing recesses in a slicer frame without removing metal.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of assembling a slicer comprising a roller having integral frusto-conic stub-shaft portions, a cutter wire, and a resilient frame having spaced arms in which frusto-conic roller-journal-bearing surfaces are provided and which frame is adapted to be stressed when assembled in a slicer, said method comprising the steps of squeezing the arms toward each other until a roller is clamped between bearing surfaces of the frame engaging stub shaft portions of the roller, securing a cutter wire under predetermined tension to said frame at two spaced points, and releasing the arms to move away from each other toward their Pa ented Oct. 10., 19

"ice

unstressed condition to increase the wire tension which then remains in equilibrium with the stresses in the frame while the roller is released to remain freely rotatable; v A further object of this invention is to provide a sheet frame which is adapted for plating of its entire surface including the faces bounding the groove-like depression 30, before the frame is assembled in a slicer.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of assembling a slicer including the steps of prestressing a slicer frame by firmly clamping the arms thereof against stub shaft portions of a guide roll while securing a wire under predetermined tension to the arms of the frame, whereby the tension in the wire is increased and the guide roll released for free turning co-operative relation to the frame and wire upon termination of the clamping.

The above and other features and objects of the invention will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains, from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of what presently appears to be the preferred form of embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of a piece of stock partly formed in an intermediate stage of manufacture of a handle-bow;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of a completely formed handle-bow, a portion thereof being broken away to more clearly show details of construction;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a portion of the device illustrated in FIG. 1, the portion thereof being indicated generally by the line 5-5.

The cutter or slicer, embodying the present invention, shown in the drawing, comprises three general parts, the frame or handle-bow 10, cutter wire 11, and guide roll 12.

The handle-bow 10 may be formed from suitable wire or rod stock such as cold-rolled steel, or the like which is relatively stiif and has some resiliency.

A straight length of such stock is bent into the symmetric form illustrated in FIG. 2, in which a pair of straight portions 14 and 15 are joined by the integral curved portion 16. As shown, a dent 17 is provided in straight portion 15. The dent or depression 17 is preferably formed by means of a punch or other suitable die and the wall thereof is preferably of conic form. As shown in FIG. 2, formation of dent or depression 17 in this way results in lateral bulging of straight portion 15 at 18 and 19, the bulging being most pronounced adjacent the edge or rim of the mouth of depression 17. The magnitude of the bulge decreases toward the point on the surface of straight portion 15 diametrally opposite depression 17. As shown, the depression 17 is opposite and faces straight portion 14, and may be made either while the material is in the form of a straight rod or when it has been formed to the V-shape condition illustrated in FIG. 2. The formation of the depression 17 when the handle-bow 10 has been formed to the state or condition illustrated in FIG. 2, facilitates its placement in a position opposite straight portion '14.

The completely formed handle-bow or frame 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, is mono-planar in that the center line of the rod stock after forming lies in a plane.

The handle-bow or handle-harp 10 may be formed in any suitable manner. However, I prefer to form same by through slot 41 and a portion thereof is secured in that slot in similar fashion, namely, by mashing or squeezing portion 57 of forearm 43. Installation of the cutter wire 11 in stressed or taut condition while the forearms 43 and 44 are pressed snugly against the stub shaft portions of roll 12 assures maximum tension in the wire as bent portions 26 and 27 co-operate in a fashion which might be referred to as a lever fulcrum manner. The portions of the handle to the right of portions 26 and 27, as shown in FIG. 3, and including portion 16, are urged to bow away from each other. These portions resiliently resist such forces and provide resilient resistance to movement of forearm portions 43, 44 in the assembly operation. When the forces urging forearm portions 43 and 44 into snug engagement with roll 12 are terminated, forearm portions 43 and 44 by reason of the resiliency inherent therein and the resilient forces applied by the handle portions shown to the right of bend portions 26 and 27 in FIG. 3, move into slightly greater spaced relationship releasing roll 12 for relatively free turning about its axis in cooperative relation with the bearing surfaces or walls 37, 38, while simultaneously increasing the tension load upon cutter wire 11.

It should be noted that the assembly of the parts, as above described, produces an increased compression load upon the co-operative surface portions of bend portions 26 and 27. Such increased comperssion load increases the resistance to movement of portion 26 in the direction of arrow A or arrow B relative to portion 27. Simultaneously the pre-tensioning or load upon the cutter wire 11 is substantially greater than that which could be applied if the groove or recess 30 were not provided.

The slicer illustrated in FIG. 1 may be used to slice cheese and the like in slices of various thicknesses as desired up to a thickness equal to the spacing of cutter wire 11 from the cylindrical surface of portion 50 of roll 12, the thickness of the slice out being determined by the angle of inclination of the handle-bow or frame member relative to the plane of slicing in which cutter wire 11 is moved. The plane of slicing being parallel to the plane or face engaged by roll 12.

The device illustrated in the drawing and described above presently appears to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, but is subject to structural modification without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a method of making a slice cutter having a frame made from an elongated stock blank, the steps of making a frusto-conic dent in the stock blank, bending the stock to unstressed frame form to convexly bend the dent containing portion to reform the dent to elongate groovelike depression form in the convex surface thereof and adapted to serve as a rest for an opposed oppositely convexly bent portion of the frame in spaced relation thereto when the frame is untressed, plating said frame While unstressed, and securing a cutter wire to said frame under tension so as to stress the frame whereby said spaced opposed portions of the frame are secured in fulcrum-like co-operating, abutting relation to each other.

2. In a method of making a slice cutter frame from an elongated blank by symmetrically bending the blank to form a central loop-like handle portion coupled by a pair I of knee bend portions to a pair of harp arms, the steps of punching a recess in said blank at a predetermined location and thereafter reforming the recess to elongate cradle-like-rest-forrn by bending the recess containing portion of the bank to convex knee bend form, whereby the reformed recess is located and adapted to cooperatively receive a portion of the opposed knee bend portion of the frame.

3. In a method of making a slice cutter frame from an elon ated blank by symmetrically bending the blank to form a central loop-like handle portion coupled by a pair of knee bend portions to a pair of harp arms, the step of forming opposed frusto-conic guide-roll journal bearing recesses in said respective arm portions by moving metal transversely of the respective harp arm portions, whereby the recesses are located and adapted to cooperatively receive a portion of a guide-roll.

4. In a method of making a slice cutter frame from an elongated blank by symmetrically bending the blank to form a central loop-like handle portion coupled by a pair of 'knee bend portions to a pair of harp arms, the steps of forming simliarly disposed frusto-conic-guide-rolljournal bearing recesses in the blank, by moving metal transversely of the portions thereof constituting the respective harp arm portions of said frame, punching a recess in said blank at a predetermined location and thereafter reforming the recess of elongate cradle-likerest-form by bending the recess containing portion of the blank to convex knee bend form, whereby the reformed recess is located and adapted to cooperatively receive a portion of the opposed knee bend portion of the frame.

5. The method of assembling a slicer comprising a roller having integral frusto-conic stub-shaft portions, a cutter wire, and a resilient frame having a central looplike handle portion coupled by a pair of knee bend portions to a pair of harp arms in which frusto-conic rollerjournal-bearing-surfaces are provided, one of said knee bend portions having a rest form recess for cooperatively receiving a portion of the other knee bend portion, and which frame is adapted to be stressed with opposed knee bend portions in fulcrum relation when said frame is assembled in a slicer and further stressed by squeezing of the handle portion thereof, said method of assembling a slicer comprising the steps of squeezing the arms toward each other until said opposed cooperating parts are in firm fulcrum engagement, and squeezing the arms further toward each other to resiliently flex them into the relative relation in which a roller is clamped between bearing surfaces of the frame engaging stub shaft portions of the roller, securing a cutter wire under predetermined tension to said frame at two spaced points and releasing the arms to move away from each other toward their unstressed condition to increase the wire ten sion which then remains in equilibrium with the stresses in the frame while the roller is released to remain more freely rotatable, when the wire tension is increased by drawing the Wire through a sliceable material and the handle portion is not squeezed and when the wire tension is further increased by squeezing of the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,016,050 Quackenbush Oct. 1, 1935 2,238,186 Pedersen Apr. 15, 1941 2,638,019 Stellin May 12, 1953 2,825,131 Cole Mar. 4, 1958 2,833,031 Flumerfelt May 6, 1958 2,869,230 Uebel Ian. 20, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 472,594 Canada Apr. 3, 1951 

